Halloween 2009

I love this time of year! I love the Fall and all that it brings. This Halloween season we did something a little different. Instead of me buying a bunch of pumpkins from the store, we visited a local pumpkin patch. I know, I know, a bunch of you are saying HELLO, that is the only way to go. Well, now I know. It was so fun! We went on a perfect day. The weather was warm and the whole environment was so Hallmark Channel. They had hayrides for the family, train rides and mazes for the kids, donuts for sale and not to mention the whole thing was at this huge red barn. So cute! The kids loved picking out their own pumpkins. This for sure is the start of a new Halloween tradition!






Then next night for Family Home Evening, we carved them....

And the evening wouldn't have been complete without caramel apples...



Then there is always Halloween parties and parades at the kids' school. The kids march around the inside of the school in their costumes while the parents and siblings watch from the side. Katelyn was a 50's girl, Emma a baby, Mason a baseball player, Riley was Minnie Mouse and Landon was a pumpkin.



Then came Halloween. What a fun night! Everyone in our neighborhood sat out in the driveways and passed out candy, which made it very easy for the kids. We also had 4 "stopping stations" in the neighborhood with donuts and hot chocolate. They asked us if we could have one at our house. It was actually really fun. I set up a table in the garage, less windy in there, with the donuts, hot chocolate and a tub of candy. We also set up our fire pit in the drive way for those cold trick-or-treaters. Parents appreciated that one. We passed out almost 100 donuts! It was so fun. Now really it was our ward who sprung for all the donuts and hot chocolate, our home was just a distribution center. But those that came not from our neighborhood just thought I was the coolest lady ever to being passing all that out. And who am I to correct them!? All in all it was such a fun night!

Landon at 5 months

Just thought I'd share a couple of Landon's latest pictures. He melts my heart.

Daddy Daughter Date

Last week Josh and Emma went to Emma's first Daddy Daughter Date for Achievement Days. It was a pumpkin carving contest. ANY contest is right up Josh's alley. They created two different pumpkins. First, they created Emma's pick a "grandma pumpkin" which I thought was very cute. Then they decided to go a little...grosser. Then they created the "sick pumpkin". Complete with a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. There were awards for the top three pumpkins and Josh and Emma's was one of them! I was very proud. (So happy Josh is never embarrassed to bring a long the camera to these type of things.)

The Phantom of the Opera

Last weekend Josh and I and some friends of ours went to Las Vegas for a little mini vacation. The guys went to the UNLV-BYU game while us wives went to see The Phantom of Opera. Yes, I know us girls got the much better end of the deal. We had a great time. I have never seen Phantom before, or any musical for that matter, and I was blown away. I absolutely loved it! I just am a little sad Josh missed it. But Josh had a great time at the game. BYU won, which is a very good thing, otherwise it would have been a very loooong drive home if they hadn't. It was a very quick trip, but well worth it!

An apple a day...

Last week Josh took the kids to a local apple orchard. It's only $5 a bushel. The kids loved being able to pick their own apples. Somehow is makes them taste better when they pick them themselves. But these apples didn't need any help tasting any better. They were soooo good. We made apple crisp, applesauce and dried apples. A friend of mine and I got together and made applesauce the other day and it was so fun. Plus we've been busy making one batch after another of dried apples. So we've definitely had our fix of apples. But we have had some sick kids lately, which shows me it's definitely not true what they say, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Good to know.

Mason trys soccer

This year my kids are each trying a new sport/activity. Mason's is soccer. I was a bit curious to see if he could really get in there and be aggressive. And I was pleasantly surprised. He loves it! He and his friend Remi are like two peas in pod, and have had fun starting this soccer season together. I challenged both of them that if they could make a goal I would give them four quarters. (Remi's brother has some candy machines, so quarters are oh so wanted!) Well, after that challenge Remi got 2 goals and Mason got 1. I quickly realized maybe I should lower the reward to 1 quarter per goal. Because now Mason gets a least 1 goal per game. He's so fun to watch and I am so excited that he's found something he really enjoys.

Riley Turns 3-Yippee!

Never have I been so happy for one of my children to leave the terrible 2's! And I do mean terrible! Riley turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. We celebrated with family and cousins. She wanted a pink butterfly cake, and a pink butterfly cake is what she got. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. The highlight of her birthday was this easel she got to do her painting and coloring on. It's been a great addition to the home and all the kids love it. Riley may be strong-willed and stubborn at times, but we love our little Rye-Pie and wouldn't trade her for the world. (I just love the middle picture of her standing by her new easel. It's become her trademark stance.)